Mother's Day: May 10, 2009

The driving force behind Mother's Day was Anna Jarvis, who organized observances in Grafton, W.Va., and Philadelphia exactly 101 years ago: May 10, 1908. As the annual celebration became popular around the country, Jarvis asked members of Congress to set aside a day to honor mothers. She finally succeeded in 1914, when Congress designated the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.

How Many Mothers

82.8 million

Estimated number of mothers in the United States in 2004.
Source: Survey of Income and Program Participation unpublished tabulations

55%

Percentage of 15- to 44-year-olds who were mothers in 2006.
Source: Fertility of American Women: 2006 <https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/population/cb08-125.html>

80%

Percentage of women 40 to 44 who were mothers in 2006. In 1976, 90 percent of women in that age group were mothers.
Source: Fertility of American Women: 2006 <https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/population/cb08-125.html>

How Many Children

2.1

The total fertility rate (TFR) or number of births per woman in the U.S. in 2006 (based on current birth rates by age). This is the first time since 1971 that the nation's TFR was above replacement, which is the birth rate required for a given generation to replace itself.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm>

2.6

The TFR or number of births in 2006 per woman in Utah (based on current birth rates by age), which led the nation. At the other end of the spectrum were Vermont, the District of Columbia and Rhode Island, with TFRs of 1.7 births per women.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm>

94%

Among the 37.8 million mothers living with children younger than 18 in 2004, the percentage who lived with their biological children only. In addition, 3 percent lived with stepchildren, 2 percent with adopted children and less than 1 percent with foster children.
Source: Living Arrangements of Children: 2004 <https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/children/cb08-30.html>

Moms Who've Recently Given Birth

4.3 million

Number of births registered in the United States in 2006. Of this number, 435,436 were to teens 15 to 19, 112,513 to mothers 40 or older and 494 to those 50 or older.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm>

25.0

Average age of women in 2006 when they gave birth for the first time, down from 25.2 years in 2005. This marks the first decline since this measure became available in 1968.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm>

40%

Percentage of births that were the mother's first in 2006. Another 32 percent were the second-born; 17 percent, third; and 11 percent, fourth or more.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm>

153.3

August

The month with the highest number of births, with 387,798 taking place that month in 2006.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm>

Wednesday

The most common day of the week to deliver, with an average of 13,482 births taking place on Wednesdays during 2006. This is the first time since at least 1990 that a day other than Tuesday had this distinction.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm>

Jacob and Emily

67

Number of births in the past year per 1,000 women 15 to 50 with a graduate or professional degree. These women have a higher fertility rate than those with any other level of education.
Source: Fertility of American Women: 2006 <https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/population/cb08-125.html>

Mothers Remembered

20,227

Number of florist establishments nationwide in 2006. The 98,373 employees in floral shops across our nation will be especially busy preparing, selling and delivering floral arrangements for Mother's Day.
Source: County Business Patterns: 2006 <https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/county_business_patterns/cb08-96.html>

The flowers bought for mom have a good chance of having been grown in California. Among the 15 surveyed states, California was the leading provider of cut flowers in 2007, accounting for 77 percent of domestic flower production ($320 million out of $416 million) in those states.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service <http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1072>

12,765

Number of employees of the 132 greeting-card publishing establishments in 2006.
Source: County Business Patterns: 2006 <https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/county_business_patterns/cb08-96.html>

13,591

The number of cosmetics, beauty supplies and perfume stores nationwide in 2006. Perfume is one of the most popular gifts given on Mother's Day.
Source: County Business Patterns: 2006 <https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/county_business_patterns/cb08-96.html>

28,300

Number of jewelry stores in the United States in 2006 -- the place to purchase necklaces, earrings and other timeless pieces for mom.
Source: County Business Patterns: 2006 <https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/county_business_patterns/cb08-96.html>

Working Moms (and Moms-to-Be)

5.3 million

57%

Among mothers 15 to 50 with infants in 2006, the percentage in the labor force. A cluster of states in the Midwest and also Rhode Island, Maryland, Virginia and Connecticut had rates higher than the national average.
Source: Fertility of American Women: 2006 <https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/population/cb08-125.html>

757,616

Number of child care centers across the country in 2006. These include 73,755 centers employing 831,361 workers and another 683,861 self-employed people or other businesses without paid employees. Many mothers turn to these centers to help juggle motherhood and careers.
Source: County Business Patterns: 2006 <https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/county_business_patterns/cb08-96.html> and Nonemployer Statistics <https://www.census.gov/econ/nonemployer/>

67%

Percentage of women who gave birth for the first time between 2001 and 2003 and worked during their pregnancy. This compares with 44 percent who gave birth for the first time between 1961 and 1965.
Source: Maternity Leave and Employment Patterns: 1961-2003 <https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/employment_occupations/cb08-33.html>

80%

The percentage of first-time mothers who worked one month or less before giving birth in the early part of this decade. This compares with 35 percent who did so between 1961 and 1965.
Source: Maternity Leave and Employment Patterns: 1961-2003 <https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/employment_occupations/cb08-33.html>

55%

The percentage of first-time mothers in the early part of this decade who were working by the sixth month after they gave birth. In the early 1960s, the corresponding percentage was 14 percent.
Source: Maternity Leave and Employment Patterns: 1961-2003 <https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/employment_occupations/cb08-33.html>

83%

The percentage of mothers who went back to work within a year of their child's birth who returned to the same employer. Seven in 10 of these women returned to jobs at the same pay, skill level and hours worked per week.
Source: Maternity Leave and Employment Patterns: 1961-2003 <https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/employment_occupations/cb08-33.html>

6.1 million

Number of custodial mothers entitled to child support in 2005.
Source: Custodial Mothers and Fathers and their Child Support: 2005 <https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/children/cb07-132.html>

36%

Percentage of women 15 to 50 with a birth in the past year who were not currently married.
Source: Fertility of American Women: 2006 <https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/population/cb08-125.html>

Meals with Mommy

58% and 80%

Percentages of children younger than 6 who ate breakfast and dinner, respectively, with their mother every day in 2006. The corresponding percentages who ate with their father were 53 percent and 71 percent. (The percentages of children who ate breakfast with their mother or father, respectively, were not significantly different from one another.)
Source: A Child's Day: 2006 <https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/children/cb09-31.html>

Following is a list of observances typically covered by the Census Bureau’s Facts for Features series:

African-American History Month (February)

Super Bowl

Valentine's Day (Feb. 14)

Women's History Month (March)

Irish-American Heritage Month (March)/
St. Patrick's Day (March 17)

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (May)

Older Americans Month (May)

Cinco de Mayo (May 5)

Mother's Day

Hurricane Season Begins (June 1)

Father's Day

The Fourth of July (July 4)

Anniversary of Americans With Disabilities Act (July 26)

Back to School (August)

Labor Day

Grandparents Day

Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)

Unmarried and Single Americans Week

Halloween (Oct. 31)

American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month (November)

Veterans Day (Nov. 11)

Thanksgiving Day

The Holiday Season (December)

Editor’s note: The preceding data were collected from a variety of sources and may be subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Facts for Features are customarily released about two months before an observance in order to accommodate magazine production timelines. Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau’s Public Information Office: telephone: 301-763-3030; fax: 301-763-3762; or e-mail: <PIO@census.gov>.

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